Preliminary Report on Archaeological Investigations in Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia

This report constitutes an evaluation of the cultural resources contained within a tract of land in the northeastern portion of Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia. The evaluation, and archaeological investigations upon which it was based, was undertaken at the Cemetery’s request., in preparation for potential of the tract of the cemetery. An assessment of the cultural resources was mandated by two factors: (1) Oakland authorities had applied for a federal grant for general improvements, which brought their proposed action under the requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (80 Stat. 915, 16 U.S.C. 470, as amended), and (2) the Cemetery recently had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Historic Oakland Cemetery, Inc. (HOCI), a nonprofit organization interested in preserving the Cemetery’s natural and cultural attributes, contracted with the Laboratory of Archaeology, Department of Anthropology, at the Georgia State University to conduct an archaeological investigation in order to determine if there were cultural resources in the aforementioned tract and, if so, to evaluate their significance and recommend ways in which any adverse impact to the resources might be mitigated. The Cemetery’s proposed use of the land included the construction of above-ground mortuary structures, the sale of plots for subsurface interments, or a combination of both.

Roy S. Dickens, Jr., an archaeologist, and Robert L. Blakely, a physical anthropologist, served as co-principal investigators, combining the expertise necessary to fully carry out the contractual agreement with HOCI. Two Georgia State University anthropology majors, Catherine Lee and Neal Coogler, were employed as field supervisors, and a number of Georgia State University students volunteers also participated in the project during the summer of 1978.